During World War II, entertainment-hungry solders......
With range of six miles with razor blade or nine miles with Germanium Diode such as 1N34 with No. 26 or 30 magnet wire and simple parts would make a personal radio.
Bayonets buried to the hilt in moist earth for ground. Other differences are in article.
Information I had not heard before in this article on page 203 in Popular Mechanics magazine of October 1962.
https://books.google.com/books/about/Popular_Mechanics.html?id=qd0DAAAAMBAJ
